Birdsville Track
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Birdsville Track South Australia–Queensland |
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| Sign at the northern end of the Birdsville Track | |
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| Birdsville Track route (blue and white) | |
| Type | Track |
| Length | 517 km (321 mi) |
| SW end | Oodnadatta Track, Marree |
| NE end |
 Eyre Developmental Road,Birdsville 25°53′54.08″S 139°21′5.92″E / 25.8983556°S 139.3516444°E |
| Region | Far North |
| Permits | not required |
| Fuel supply | Mungerannie (28°01′7.28″S 138°39′48.02″E / 28.0186889°S 138.6633389°E) |
| Facilities | Mungerannie (28°01′7.28″S 138°39′48.02″E / 28.0186889°S 138.6633389°E) |
The Birdsville Track is a notable outback road in Australia. The 517 kilometres (321 mi) track runs between Birdsville in south-western Queensland and Marree, a small town in the north-eastern part of South Australia. It traverses three deserts along the route, the Strzelecki Desert, Sturt Stony Desert and Tirari Desert.
Originally the track was of poor quality and suitable for high-clearance four-wheel drive vehicles only, but it is now a graded dirt road and a popular tourist route. It is also used by cattle trucks carrying livestock. The track passes through one of the driest parts of Australia with an average rainfall of less than 100 mm annually. The area is extremely barren, dry and isolated, and travellers should carry water and supplies in case of emergencies.
The track was opened in the 1860s to walk cattle from northern Queensland and the Northern Territory to the nearest railhead in Port Augusta which was later moved to Marree. The pioneering drover who is credited with establishing the track was Percy Burt. Burt set up a store at Diamantina Crossing, today known as Birdsville, and used the path to bring cattle out of the Channel Country to the railhead at Maree that was completed in 1883. This was more than 1000 km shorter than the alternative path to Brisbane.
By 1916 enough bores had been sunk into the Great Artesian Basin along the route, that the movement of stock was much easier and safer than in earlier years. Bores were drilled at 40 km intervals.
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Wikipedia